About Atamhi Cawayu
Atamhi Cawayu (he/him) is a sociologist and social anthropologist based in La Paz, Bolivia. He currently works at the Research Institute for Behavioral Sciences at the Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo”. In 2023, he earned his PhD in Gender and Diversity Studies from Ghent University. His doctoral thesis, entitled “Searching for Restoration: An Ethnographic Study of Transnational Adoption from Bolivia,” critically examines the adoption and child protection system in Bolivia with a particular focus on families of origin. Cawayu’s expertise centers on childhood and child protection, with a specific interest in transnational adoption, care-leavers, and sexual violence against children. He has published in various international journals such as Childhood, Children’s Geographies, Genealogy, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Identities. He is also co-editor of two books and Communal Histories of Adoption and Displacement (2022) and Voorbij Transnationale Adoptie (2023).
​
Cawayu is a co-founder of the Network of Bolivian Adoptees, an organisation created by and for Bolivian adoptees worldwide. Additionally, Cawayu is involved in various art and audiovisual projects that explore themes related to adoption, displacement, family, and queer Indigenous representations.
​